Alligator discovered in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park

New York authorities have removed an alligator discovered at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park Lake Sunday morning. 

A New York City Department of Parks & Recreation spokesperson told The Hill that park officials altered Parks Enforcement Patrol and Urban Park Rangers early Sunday morning to come to the park after spotting the alligator. 

Authorities were able to capture the animal and transported it to an Animal Care Center (ACC) before it was sent to the Bronx Zoo for rehabilitation. 

Park officials said that the alligator, measured to be approximately 4 feet long, was found in poor condition and was very lethargic.

District Council 37 Vice President Joseph Puleo told the New York Post that the incident with the alligator was “unexpected,” adding that the animal wasn’t moving at all when officials and bystanders spotted it. 

“We were notified by someone who saw it,” Puleo, whose district represents the city’s park employees, told the Post. “It wasn’t moving really at all.”

On a yearly basis, Urban Park Rangers respond to around 500 reports of animal conditions in the New York City area. 

The city’s Parks Department spokesperson expressed their gratitude to the Parks Enforcement Patrol and Urban Park Rangers who were able “to capture and transport” the animal, adding that no person was harmed during the ordeal and the animal is currently being evaluated. 

“Parks are not suitable homes for animals not indigenous to those parks — domesticated or otherwise. In addition to the potential danger to park goers this could have caused, releasing non-indigenous animals or unwanted pets can lead to the elimination of native species and unhealthy water quality,” the spokesperson added. “In this case the animal was found very lethargic and possibly cold shocked since it is native to warm, tropical climates.”